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Ambassador Marcel Tibaleka and Mr. Matthias Baldus during their meeting at the Chancery in Berlin

Ambassador Marcel R. Tibaleka has on 1st October 2018 met with Mr. Matthias Baldus, Chief Executive Officer of M/s Global-Woods AG, when the latter paid a courtesy call on him at the Uganda Embassy in Berlin.

Mr. Baldus, who is a forestry and carbon management expert, briefed his host on the operations of M/s Global-Woods AG in Uganda and indicated that his company would be in position to export timber from Uganda as soon as the Ugandan Government lifted the ban. The Ministry of Water and Environment is in the final stages of lifting the ban on the export of timber, which was imposed three decades ago.

M/s Global-Woods AG is a German based firm that has been operating in Uganda for more than 16 years and manages a Pine and Eucalyptus forest plantation covering 8,000 hectares in Kyankwanzi district. The company started planting trees in 2001 and became the first company in Uganda to be certified under both the Forest Stewardship Council and the Gold Standard certification systems in 2012. Global-Woods aimed to generate revenue from selling carbon credits as well as the timber from its plantations. The project was registered as a Clean Development Mechanism project and was certified under the Climate, Community and Biodiversity standard in 2009.

Mr. Baldus informed the Ambassador that his company got a license from the National Forestry Authority (NFA) in September 2001 to manage the Kikonda Forest Reserve. "We are required to manage the land according to the provisions of the license and the dedicated land use is limited to plantation forestry. Under this license, Global-Woods has established plantations on 8,000 ha on degraded land, bush and grasslands with Pinus carribea (and some Pinus oocarpa) plantations that will be harvested in an 18-year rotation cycle," he said.

Amb. Tibaleka was happy to learn that M/s Global-Woods was not only producing full tree length poles, logs and lumber but was also selling fuel wood made from billets, chips and sawdust. He praised the company for providing quality seedlings at their nursery to those who want to grow trees.

M/s Global-Woods supplies Pine seedlings from improved seed sources as well as clonal Eucalyptus hybrids. Farmers are advised to order 4 to 5 months in advance prior to the rain season so as to get the required number of seedlings. Other species including fruit trees and ornamental plants can be produced on demand. The company foresters are available to give advice on which species suits the clients' sites and requirements.